Conservative MP Nicky Morgan pulls out of Have I Got News For You after Theresa May trousers row
Makers of BBC show say former Education Secretary withdrew due to 'unforeseen circumstances'
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Your support makes all the difference.Conservative MP Nicky Morgan has pulled out of a planned appearance on Have I Got News for You following a public spat with Number Ten after she criticised Theresa May’s choice of trousers.
The former Education Secretary was due to appear on the satirical BBC show this Friday but a spokesperson from programme makers Hat Trick said she had withdrawn due to “unforeseen circumstances”.
Ms Morgan became embroiled in the so-called “Trousergate” row after she questioned why the Prime Minister had chosen to wear a pair of boot-flared brown leather pants costing £995 in a photo shoot with The Sunday Times.
Ms Morgan – who was removed from the Cabinet by Ms May when she became Prime Minister - said: “I don’t think I’ve ever spent that much on anything apart from my wedding dress” and claimed the trousers had been “noted and talked about” in Tory circles.
The row escalated after the emergence of a series of terse text messages between the MP and Ms May’s joint chief of staff, Fiona Hill.
The Loughborough MP – who favours a so-called “soft Brexit” and has been critical of the Government’s early negotiations with the EU – was then barred from attending a scheduled meeting with the Prime Minister.
Ms Morgan was booked to appear on this Friday’s Have I Got News For You in September, alongside regular panellists Ian Hislop and Paul Merton, with comedian John Richardson as the second guest and Gary Lineker as host.
Her replacement has not yet been announced – but in 1993, the popular show famously used a tub of lard as a stand-in for Labour politician Roy Hattersley when he cancelled his appearance at the last minute.
Ms Morgan was roundly criticised for her recent comments with several commentators and politicians accusing her of sexism because of the focus on Ms May’s clothing rather than her policies.
Adam Stares, deputy chairman of Ms Morgan’s Loughborough constituency association, told BBC1's Sunday Politics he had "no idea what she is playing at".
He said: "There’s a lot of people who think she is taking side-swipes at the Government and at Theresa May.
"I think she just needs to get on with her job as an MP - which she does very well - and support the Government."
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